Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1465756
factory. Women hand-embroider every single piece — there's a unique and beautiful level of craftsmanship. Your favorite local nonprofits/ organizations. I'm passionate about giving back — it's at the root of my entire business. On an international level, we donate clothing to children in the communities in which we work. My big dream is to one day build a community center there. Here at home in Dallas, I focus on giving back to nonprofits that help children, celebrate women, and are focused on the arts. These include The Birthday Party Project, Community Partners of Dallas (I'm on the board), The Ashford Rise School of Dallas (we did a collection inspired by their logo and donated a portion of the proceeds to the school), and United to Learn (our team painted a mural in one of the school cafeterias). Lastly, I'm chairing The Great Create for the Nasher Sculpture Center. There are so many wonderful organizations and nonprofits within only a few miles of our home and showroom. What you love most about Dondolo. Too many things to count! But one of the things that I love is that our pieces are touched by so many hands before DONDOLO GETTING TO KNOW PAPERCITY ADVERTORIAL I t's hard to grab a minute with Dondolo founder Catalina Gonzalez. Between raising four boys, serving with a variety of nonprofits and — of course — running her social-impact baby and lifestyle brand Dondolo, there's a lot on Gonzalez's plate. Describe Dondolo. Dondolo is a women's, children's, and home lifestyle brand on a mission. What's behind the name Dondolo. Dondolo means swing in Italian. When I started the company, I wanted a luxury name that encompassed children and how they swing in their mothers' wombs. Also, swinging illustrates the nature of giving back. When you give, it always swings back to you as more love and even bigger things. It's all about giving. What inspired you to start your company. I was a native of Colombia attending SMU in Dallas. I traveled frequently between Colombia and Dallas and saw how differently people lived in the two regions. I always knew that if I had a business, it would be focused on giving back to these Colombian women and children in so much need. Flexibility is something I strongly believe in. I decided I would create my own creative, flexible outlet. This is something that I try to extend to my employees as well. As a Dondolo employee, you can pick up your kids from school, then come back to work — we have flexible hours. I wanted to build a company that understands that women who want to be moms need flexibility. Tell us about the social impact of your business and how you empower women in Colombia. We manufacture everything in Colombia. Through this, we provide more than 100 jobs to women in our FOUNDER CATALINA GONZALEZ they even get to you. It starts with the hands of the designer, then the hands of the embroiderer, and finally it's the hands of the women on our team here in Texas. What the future looks like. My focus is continued growth and expansion of my customer base. In the beginning, Dondolo was exclusively a wholesale brand, working with 200 boutiques around the United States, primarily in the South. Then, in January 2020, I made the strategic decision to pivot to direct-to-consumer. This was my best decision yet. Through this new approach, coupled with my retail launch in 2021, I've been able to grow my brand internationally, partnering with FedEx to ship items to Qatar, Brazil, Tokyo, and beyond. My goals include opening additional retail locations, as well as continuing to grow as a lifestyle brand with the launch of new heirloom products, such as a baby collection focused on items for preemies through three months Dallas go-to restaurant: The Charles. Hostess gift: A towel from Ellis Hill. Baby gift: A three-month Dondolo bubble. Drink order: Matcha from La La Land Kind Cafe. Workout: Right now, I'm running every other day as I train for a marathon in June. I also love going to Terlingo Cycle. Vacation spot: With kids, Jackson Hole. Without kids, Amangiri. Road-trip destination: Florida. Most-played on Spotify right now: Encanto. Dondolo Flagship Store 315 Cole St. #160 Dallas, Texas 75207 Phone: 469.208.9840 Email: info@dondolo.com dondolo.com Catalina Gonzalez 78